A portrait of rapper Eazy-E, aka Eric Lynn Wright, taken on June 27, 1991 in New York City ; Lil Eazy-E and Ebie attends the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.Photo:Al Pereira/Getty and Frazer Harrison/Getty
Al Pereira/Getty and Frazer Harrison/Getty
Eazy-Ewas one of the biggest rappers in American music history, but he also left a personal legacy in his children.
Often referred to as the “Godfather of Gangsta Rap,” Eazy-E, born Eric Lynn Wright, rose to prominence as part of the rap groupN.W.Aand became a father before his death at 30 years old in 1995 after being diagnosed with HIV.
Over the course of his life, the rapper reportedly welcomed 11 children, eight of whom have spoken publicly about their father, including sons Eric, Marquise, Dominick and Derek and daughters Ebie, Henree, Erica and Daijah. He shared two of his children, Dominick and Daijah, with record producer Tomica Woods whom the rapper married 12 days before his death. His youngest daughter, Daijah, was born six months after his death.
As Eazy-E’s children grew up, many of them went on to pursue careers in music like their father and have paid homage to his legacy throughout their lives. In a 2019 interview withFlaunt Magazine, Ebie, who was 4 years old when her father died, called being Eazy-E’s daughter “bittersweet” since she didn’t have too many memories other than him just “being my dad.”
“It’s not like I knew at that age he was going to be some legendary rapper or he’d have such an impact on people. I remember just having a lot of fun with him, spending a lot of time in his office,” she added. “Just him coming home late at night, lots of my memories are him kissing me on my forehead in the middle of the night.”
Here’s everything to know about Eazy-E’s children.
Eazy-E with his son Lil Eazy-E and daughter Erica Wright.Lil Eazy-E/ Instagram
Lil Eazy-E/ Instagram
The majority of Eazy-E’s children went on to pursue careers in music just like their dad.
Meanwhile, Eazy-E’s son Marquise and daughter Henree are also rappers who are known professionally as Yung Eazy and ReeMarkable, respectively. Henree also appeared on the reality showGrowing Up Hip-Hop: Atlantaand has released several singles, including her 2023 record “Sunrise.”
Eazy-E’s daughter Erin, whom the rapper welcomed with Tracy Jernagin and later changed her name to Ebie, is also a musician, describing her sound as pop/rock toFlaunt Magazine. She added that growing up as Eazy-E’s daughter didn’t make her feel nervous about releasing her own music, telling the outlet, “I’ve never felt pressure, absolutely never.”
“For years, it’s always me fighting: ‘Listen, I’m not just Eazy-E’s daughter. Whatever you’re expecting of me, that’s not it,' " she said. “‘You’re going to get something completely different so you might as well just get that out of your brain.’ ”
Lil Eazy-E shares a photo of his family.Lil Eazy-E/ Instagram
Along with music, some of Eazy E’s children have also gone on to pursue careers in acting and reality television.
Dominick, whom the rapper welcomed with wife Tomica Woods, is an actor whose credits include the 2015 indie-thrillerMistaken.
Eazy E’s Daughter ReeMarkable Introduces Son Hendrix with Newborn Shoot Recreating Iconic Photo of Late Rapper.Randi Theresa
Randi Theresa
On Sept. 7, 2024, Eazy-E’s daughter Henree announced the birth of her son, Hendrix Jru Boone.
The date was special: it marked what would have been the rapper’s 60th birthday. To commemorate the moment, Henree organized a photo shoot recreating an iconic picture of her dad.
“Wethought about thisback in July,” Henree explained to PEOPLE after her son’s birth. “We were talking about maybe recreating different studio sessions with different artists. And [fiancé Derrty Mula] was like, ‘Wouldn’t it have been cool if they would have documented studio sessions more back in day?’ and I thought about it. Later that night, one of the sessions that was recorded from my dad just popped into my head.”
Henree went on to share that her dad was a “very creative person,” and she thinks the photos “would be something he would have been really proud of.”
Kathie Wright, Lil Eazy-E and the Wright Family attend the Special Merit Awards Ceremony & 66th Annual GRAMMY Nominees Reception during the 66th GRAMMY Awards on February 03, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.Anna Webber/Getty
Anna Webber/Getty
Along with correcting his birth year, which was incorrectly stated as 1963 in his original tombstone, the rapper’s family also added photos, his autograph and a title that read “The Godfather of Gangsta Rap.” They also kept the text, “We Loved Him, But God Loved Him More.”
Eazy-E’s daughter, Erica, worked with headstone designer Tim Morris to update her father’s grave, and the family hosted a public unveiling on Sept. 7, 2019, at the Rose Hill cemetery in Whittier, Calif.
Rapper Eazy-E’s family arrives at the world premiere of Universal Pictures and Legendary Pictures' “Straight Outta Compton” at the Microsoft Theater on August 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.Amanda Edwards/WireImage
Amanda Edwards/WireImage
In 2015, a biographical drama on the rise and fall of the N.W.A,Straight Outta Compton,was released to critical acclaim and mixed reactions from Eazy-E’s children.
Ebie toldEssencethat while she thought it was an “incredible film," she hoped to make a documentary on her father’s life that would include more of his story.
“For the most part, it definitely gets the story out there,” she said. “You know my generation is not really familiar with Eazy-E and N.W.A and where they came from and how they started and what all they accomplished and what they did and what they had to go through.”
“I’m really excited for everyone to learn that, but I just felt like there were a lot of pivotal moments of my dad’s life that were left out,” she added. “I am working on a documentary that is … going to touch on a lot of my dad’s life and a lot of things that they didn’t show in the movie, but mainly focus on the scandal surrounding his death and what happened afterwards.”
Eric had initially auditioned to play his father in the film, but the role ultimately went toJason Mitchell.
“Jason has come to my grandmother’s house where I was born and raised, where my father was born and raised and where N.W.A started,” he toldRolling Stonein 2014 about how he embraced the filmmakers’ casting decision. “I reached out to him to give him the support and any advice he needs. He has a big burden on his shoulders to bring forth the character and legacy of my father and the legacy of N.W.A, period.”
“You can point out a lot [of discrepancies], but it was a great movie,” the rapper said. “It was made for the screen, the big screen.”
Rapper Eazy-E’s children celebrate their father being posthumously awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024 as a member of the hip-hop group N.W.A.Lil Eazy-E/ Instagram
In 2024, N.W.A. received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy at the Recording Academy’s Special Merit Awards.
A few of Eazy-E’s children were in attendance, along with their grandmother and N.W.A. membersIce Cube, MC Ren, DJ Yella and The D.O.C. While accepting the award, Ice Cube paid tribute to Eazy-E saying, “This is actually Eazy-E’s vision. He’s the one who allowed us to do this type of music.”
Ebie posted photos from the nighton Instagram, writing, “What my father accomplished in such a short time and unfortunately short life is truly extraordinary.”
“I’m so proud to be his daughter.. wish he was here with us accepting his own award! This is very bittersweet. Love and miss you, legend,” she continued. “The best father, friend and business man ever ! 👼🏽 You deserve this 🏆."
source: people.com